Haoberry And Cream Pie Delight
by kiiro asakura
Summary: Wanna learn how to make a strawberry and cream pie? Then read this to find out how to make one - Hao style- While under the supervision of Anna of course! HANA pairing. Sort of.


Shaman King Fanfiction.  
  
Haoberry And Cream Pie Delight.  
  
By Kiiro Asakura.  
  
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Disclaimer:  
  
The intention of claiming the Shaman King characters as her own has never occurred in the mind of this author in the first place. And even if it did, it would've never really exceeded the boundaries of her fictitious intellect anyway.  
  
Just think.  
  
How could it? 0_o  
  
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Author's Note:  
  
The story is set in a sort of different context with that of the anime series, most especially when it comes to the personalities of the characters. In other words:  
  
* OOC-ness is involved. Kinda.  
  
"Words" - Monologue/Dialogue lines.  
  
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Words - Narration of events/Speaker's a.k.a Anna's thoughts.  
  
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Words - THE itako's journal entry.  
  
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Warning: This could possibly be the longest one-shot fic you've ever seen. At least it is for me. Hope you don't get too bored with it.  
  
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Haoberry And Cream Pie Delight  
  
By Kiiro Asakura  
  
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Diary Entry: Haoberry And Cream Pie Delight.  
  
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To the reader: If you see this, you're dead.  
  
May 5, 2000  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Today is my fiancé's 15th day of birth. Earlier this afternoon, before going to the party arranged by his Kororo look-alike friend, I planned to surprise my fiancé by doing something for him that I am not normally accustomed to. That is to cook. To bake a strawberry and cream pie, to be more exact. But little did I know, that upon performing this simple act of affection which intended to show my fiancé how much I really care for him, I'd actually end up with his brother showing his affection for me, when he decided to help in finishing the said birthday surprise.  
  
And the worst part is . . .  
  
I allowed him to do so.  
  
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My hair was tied into a half ponytail and a simple pink apron was wrapped around the black dress that I usually wear. The groceries, which I have bought earlier this afternoon, are sorted accordingly on top of the table. And a newly purchased recipe book was widely opened before me. I had followed the primary steps in the procedure found there.  
  
"Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare piecrust according to package directions for unfilled one-crust pie using 9-inch pie pan."  
  
I heard myself reading the directions in the cookbook out loud.  
  
"Bake at 400 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned."  
  
That's when I just had to ask myself . . .  
  
Why the hell am I doing this?  
  
But before my memory cells could kick in to remind me of the reason, I heard the rice paper doors at our receiving area slide open and that did the trick of reminding me instead.  
  
"Kuso! This cannot be! He's not supposed to be here yet!" I cursed as the thought of my fiancé ruining the birthday surprise that I prepared for him penetrated my mind.  
  
I then took my apron off and dashed out of the room with the intention of preventing my fiancé from entering our kitchen at any cost.  
  
I reached our living area expecting to see the grinning face of my future husband. But instead, I saw the grinning face of somebody else. Some body else whom I really detested seeing for the nth time.  
  
"Konnichiwa!" said the longhaired boy as he surprisingly waved his hand as if to show some form of friendliness towards me.  
  
"You!!!" I said with my voice dangerously rising as the intruder let himself into our house without my permission.  
  
"Who me?" he spoke softly, perhaps trying to mock my noticeable hostility.  
  
"Yes you." I firmly said this time, after which I gave out a glacial stare that is sure to freeze even the likes of him who possesses the highest affinity for lethal flames.  
  
"Ah, well yes. It is I. But I can assure you, I was nowhere near the jar when your cookies were taken."  
  
I heard him let a small sniffle of amusement out after he uttered that statement. But I, on the other hand was just plainly stomped by what he meant with those words.  
  
"Heh, well never mind what I said then. Anyway, I came to see my little brother. Could you kindly tell him that I am here?" he said smiling at me after a few minutes of silence resided between the both of us.  
  
I pulled my senses together and made myself realize that now is not the time to wonder about the quaintness of this person's actions. So I just decided to answer the boy's inquiry with one of my straight-to-the-point replies.  
  
"He is not here. He is at his midget friend's house. I have a very busy schedule to keep. So I want you to leave. Now." I plainly said with a hint of unquestionable authority and absolute irritability at that in my voice.  
  
"Oh? Then why aren't you there with him? Isn't today his birthday? And, aren't you, being his fiancée, supposed to be with him celebrating this very special event in his life?" he asked yet again, totally missing out on the essence of my assertion.  
  
"If you must know, I was preparing my present for him a while ago until you obnoxiously intruded our property and-" my sentence was immediately cut off.  
  
"Well then I am truly very sorry for doing such a terrible thing to you my dear future sister-in-law." he said as he surprisingly bowed before me.  
  
"Come now, no need to hold grudges against me, I am prepared to attain for my rudeness by helping you with your gift for my sweet little brother." he again flashed another one of those irritatingly adorable smiles of his.  
  
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So there! I said it! Damn it. Can you believe it? As despicable as it is to admit, I actually find his smiles to be as sickeningly charming as those of my fiancé's.  
  
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Why did it feel so awkward for him to be around me? I then felt a scarcity for words but still, I kept a face of acidity that betrayed all my current perplexities.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" the boy inquired yet again.  
  
After he asked that question, I finally thought of an answer that could possibly enlighten the both of us.  
  
"Hmm. Well, now that you've mentioned it, yes, I believe there is something definitely wrong here." I said indignantly. I was very much taken aback by this guy's arrogance.  
  
"Let's see. So, what could possibly be wrong in this picture? Oh yeah. That would be: You, standing here before me. You, offering your help to bake my fiancé's birthday pie. You, still having this conversation with me, and furthermore you, - " the haughty guy cut my sentence short once more.  
  
"Heh! A birthday pie? I thought birthdays were celebrated with cakes, not pies!"  
  
This irritating boy dared to ridicule my idea of a good birthday surprise for my fiancé?!?  
  
"Get out of my sight. Now. You very well know that you are not welcomed in this house. You never were. And never will be. Now, for the last time. Go. And leave. Me. Alone." I said through gritted teeth as I felt the veins at my temples bulge out.  
  
"There, there, my lady! I didn't mean to offend you in any way when I said that. I have merely expressed my astonishment for the wonderfully unique ways you show your daintiness to that very blessed brother of mine."  
  
Those words came out of his mouth as a grin worked its way up to his lips. And with a blink of an eye, I felt him there right before me, holding one of my hands gently. He then placed a light kiss on its back with his very soft lips.  
  
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And that was the first time I had an encounter with those very inviting lips of his. Sweet mother of mercy, forgive me. I tried to mentally bash my head for permitting such a thought about his lips to enter my mind of course.  
  
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"Now please, I beg of you. Allow me to make up for my discourteous deeds by helping you bake that birthday pie for my brother."  
  
He was now staring at me steadily. His gazes were enough to thaw anyone who has been thrown into a tarn of liquid nitrogen. But with my defense mechanism finally distinguishing the signal for implementation, I broke out of his paralyzing gaze and raised my hand that is free from his grip and aimed it straight at his smirking face.  
  
But surprisingly, he caught that hand of mine as well. He was gazing at me the whole time. And still with that infuriating grin on his face. Maybe he presumes that with the kind of power he possesses, he can literally melt something just by staring at it?  
  
As far as I was concerned, this man was starting to inflict something unfamiliar within me. Perhaps something of which that resembles fear. I struggled under his grasp. He then felt that I did. I could've sworn I saw something glimmer in his eyes, a hint of sadness possibly. I felt his hand release one of mine, but much to my dismay, he placed his arm around my waist instead and brought me closer and closer to him. I was utterly shocked.  
  
What is this oaf trying to do to me?!?  
  
I was about to ask that out loud when his smile became wider and he leaned his head closer to mine. My eyes opened wider with surprise. I didn't really want to find out what he was about to do to me now. The primal instinct of my damsel-in-distress persona then took over. I opened my mouth to let out a shriek calling for help. But he was just too quick for me. I ended up with my mouth being covered by his other hand. Our bodies then became even more dangerously closer than before.  
  
He stared at me intently and then smiled to me yet again. There was now a look of gentleness in his eyes that clearly said: no harm upon me shall be done.  
  
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And yes, it's also true. His eyes are mesmerizing. Indeed, at one glance, they look exactly like my fiancé's. But when you stare at them for quite some time, the difference is not at all that hard to distinguish. If his eyes were compared to the ocean, their depth would probably be classified as the abyss. They were very dark. No light could reach them because of their deepness. If his eyes were the windows to his soul then, his eyes didn't give away anything at all. I find him to be as mysterious as the day I first saw him at the deserts of America.  
  
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My tensed body relaxed a little bit under his grasp. Come to think of it, his grasp wasn't really that tight anyway. To my relief, he took his palm off my mouth but unfortunately for me, he held the cheek of my face tenderly after that. He slightly opened his lips and brought it closer to mine. I knew my cheeks reddened as my temperature rose dramatically. Was it a sign of my fury? My suppressed desire probably. I had no idea. I was somewhat confused. Okay, very confused to be more honest. Either way, I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do.  
  
So I just said the first thing that came to my mind.  
  
"If you think that you can have your revenge on your brother by doing this to me, then I guess I was wrong for thinking that you are as dignified as you claim you are." I said as I fought my tears from coming out.  
  
After that, he stopped inching his face towards mine. We were still maintaining eye contact the whole time. The tips of our noses were touching each other as I felt his hand caress my face tenderly. He smiled once again as he shifted his hand from my cheek to the back of my head. His lips made a light trail on my cheek as they went closer to my right ear. I then found him to be whispering something to me with a very husky voice.  
  
"My brother and I have settled our dispute years ago. It's fine if you don't believe that I'm a changed man now. But please. Don't go on saying that I still have my mind set on having revenge on my little brother. Not when I owe him my very existence at this very point in time."  
  
I felt his grip around me loosen completely. He then backed a good number of steps away from me. I never thought I'd be able to hear this man talk about such matters in this lifetime. I felt my brows furrow as my brain started to process the things that has just happened between us.  
  
"Ah, once again, I ask for your forgiveness my dear future sister-in-law! But it seems that I am having trouble controlling the production of those cursed hormones in this fifteen yr. old body of mine! Do let me make up for it though, where's the kitchen again? If my memory serves me right, it is, that way? Yes?"  
  
He immediately walked into our kitchen. That actually left me quite disturbed. What the hell just happened between me and that weirdo? I mentally asked myself for the second time. Why the hell is he so bent up on helping me bake my fiancé's birthday pie? And why the hell did he not receive a killer slap from me like he's supposed to.  
  
"Hayaku! Hayaku! You better get in here now if you want to give him his surprise in time!" he called out for me once again.  
  
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So I decided to give him a chance. He is after all my future brother-in- law. And he and my fiancé did say that he is a changed man. If he was planning on doing something not good to me, then I just need to give him a little reminder on his debt to my kindhearted fiancé. I guessed. I don't know what, but I felt something within him that is assuring me, it's all right to trust him now.  
  
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And so there we were, just me and my future brother-in-law, analyzing and carefully following the procedures that were printed on the recipe book.  
  
"In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and almond extract. Blend well. Fold in whipped cream." He read out loud as he folded in the whipped cream.  
  
"So how am I doing here ne master chef?" he grinned as he saw me walking closer to him.  
  
"I told you before it's my first time to do it too, so I wouldn't really know." I said with a tone of amusement in my voice. I leaned over his side to find out whether he was doing my idea of a proper whipped cream folding or not. "You're doing fine I guess. Anyway, if the pies are ruined due to your wrong doings, I'll have you run to the grocery store and buy the groceries with your own money. Then I'll have you do the pie baking all by yourself until you get it right. And of course all the credits shall still go to none other than me. Understand?" I was somewhat surprised to find myself speaking to him so casually like this. I'm guessing we both are.  
  
"Heh. Sounds fair enough to me." he said smiling at me once more.  
  
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Curses. I was starting to like that smile more and more. I feel so warm whenever I see it. It reminded me of someone. Who else but his younger brother. I never imagined that the ever so famous 'legendary destroyer' will be sitting there at our kitchen folding in whipped cream into a mixture of cream cheese, sugar and almond extract, under my very own supervision. He really does seem to be a different person now. I guess one way you could describe the change in him is that he became so . . .  
  
So normal.  
  
So human.  
  
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The oven's timer let out a sound, which resembled that of a small bell. It means that our piecrusts are ready to be taken out for cooling and so I left him alone with the folding in of whipped cream. I placed the oven mitts over my hands for protection and walked towards the range. I had my back facing him. When I got the pie pans out of the stove, I then put them on the table. I was now facing his direction and to my surprise again, I saw him looking at me intently from head to toe. Apparently, he didn't notice that I was now looking at him as well with an evident expression of questioning written all over my face. I somehow felt that those gazes were not as innocent and pure as they profess themselves to be.  
  
"Is there something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? " I asked huffily, not really sure whether my questioning would trigger something bizarre within this person to surface out once more or not.  
  
"Oh. Forgive me, although I did not mean to insult you. Heh, I wasn't aware that I was gawking at you already. It's very hard for me to resist you know. It's just I find you to be breathtakingly stunning at every angle, with that ponytail on your hair, and that apron clad around your perfect little body. Ahh, my humblest apologies. My humblest apologies indeed." He then averted his eyes to the large of bowl of whipped cream that he was holding as he put another grin on his face.  
  
I narrowed my eyes to hide the flattering sensation he just imparted to me. I merely growled at him for doing so. He of course ignored that completely.  
  
"Well, I think this whipped cream has had enough folding for now. Don't you?" again, he cannot seem to look at me without flashing one of those jaw- dropping smiles of his.  
  
"You just can't restrain yourself from flirting with me can you?"  
  
We were both stunned with the question that came out of my mouth. But as to be expected, he was the first one to snap out of it.  
  
"Heh. I can assure you my dear future sis-in-law, that if I was to flirt with you, you'd be dragging me into your bedroom right this very moment and begging me to work my magic on you all night, for the ret of your life." He grinned as I tried my best to prevent my head from resembling a giant tomato due to the profuse amounts of humiliation that I have received.  
  
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Damn. He saw me blush furiously that time. I saw him smirk at me triumphantly. I should've known. Someone like him has the mindset of a pig. But I couldn't help but feel a tinge of curiosity though. Wonder how he is inside a bedroom, really. This time, physical bashing on my head will be performed, yes, don't worry, it will be. I assure you.  
  
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I then knew that it was my turn to ignore his cunning remarks. I merely placed the two pans of cooled piecrusts on the table before us and sat my self onto the chair beside him. I can feel his intense gazes fixed upon me once more. Perhaps tempting me to finish the feisty conversation that I had started with him.  
  
"Spoon whipped cream into cooled pie crust." I read the instructions on the recipe book out loud.  
  
"Ah, so whipped cream goes into piecrust. Right. Mind if borrow this spoon of yours?" he finally asked recognizing my wish for accomplishing the task at hand.  
  
"Not at all, and it's called a spatula for your information" I said as I saw him take the spatula and slowly fill the piecrusts with the whipped cream. He first tilted the bowl and scooped out its contents into one of the piecrust, then into the other. When both piecrusts were full of filling, he placed the bowl on the table. He held it with his left hand, as the finger of his right ran through the cream that was left at the bowl's sides. I watched him lick his right index finger, which was covered with the whipped cream mixture. He then placed his finger inside his mouth and devoured the cream completely. He did that for several times before finally noticing that I was giving him another one of my arctic stares.  
  
"You know, it's really good. You should try it. Here." he said with a wicked grin plastered on his face and a gaze that was enough to seduce any creature in this planet, married or not. He then offered the large bowl expecting me to do the same unmannered thing that he has.  
  
But I on the other hand was in no mood to have any smirk of excitement on my face. I did not like the idea of having to stick my finger into a bowl of whipped cream, then licking and sucking it, and then placing it into the bowl again only to have other people tasting the mixture of the whipped cream and my saliva as well!  
  
"You really expect me to place my finger in there!?! After you licked your finger a million times and then placed it in there again!?! What kind of an undomesticated animal do you think I am!?! At least, you could've used a spoon!" I ranted.  
  
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I was so enraged because I felt like he was anticipating me to do something intimate with him when he knew for a fact that I already have his brother for my fiancé. Okay, maybe it seems like I overreacted when I said those things. But damn it. I saw him looking at me the whole time. And believe me, he was indeed trying to imply something when he invited me to place my finger into the bowl that time.  
  
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He completely disregarded my loathsome remarks though. The repugnant guy then ran his finger into the bowl's sides once again. His eyes were now maliciously making contact with mine as he brought his palm closer to his mouth. Then, his tongue slid out of his lips and slowly worked its way up to the tip of his index finger. He raised one of his eyebrows at me as he gave me a very alluring grin as he playfully licked his fingers once more.  
  
My face was probably indescribable the whole time. I felt my whole body getting warmer and warmer. I guess he's not the only one having a hard time controlling those wretched hormones.  
  
Why is this guy torturing me like this?  
  
I bit my lips and creased my forehead. I didn't know what else to do. I had never been in this kind of situation before. No one, not even my fiancé ever dared to taunt me like this. I then narrowed my eyes to show this arrogant moron that I will not be easily daunted by some malicious act of his so-called charisma.  
  
I remained there staring at him icily doing nothing else. I only moved when he had halted from his 'stupid sensual display' as I would pretend to describe it. His once cream-covered palm is now cream-free and is placed at the side of the bowl. And much to my relief, his eyes reverted to the placid gaze they gave out a while ago. He smiled at me as he noticed my expression of bewilderment.  
  
"You know, you really should try to loosen up a bit. I could've sworn that after living with that lazy bum for a brother of mine, you would've already learned a thing or two about having fun." He said without the evil grin on his lips anymore.  
  
"And I suppose That? Is your idea of having fun? You just tried to moon a minor here you pervert!" I said indignantly.  
  
"Ha,ha,ha! Perhaps you're right, but I must say, you did find my actions to be perverted, so I was just wondering, doesn't that say the same thing for you?" he teased me yet again.  
  
"I hate you." Was the only reply I could think of.  
  
"Heh. I'm sure you do. But you know, it's really fun doing that." He said after which one of my brows made a replica of Mt. Fuji.  
  
"No, no, I mean, eating the cream with your finger." He clarified.  
  
"I don't find anything fun with such a savage act." I said.  
  
"It's not savage. It's more of being childish. And don't you, having left that phase in your life already, wish that you could somehow go back to it? Gain that innocence, that carefree-ness once again? Don't you wish that you could once more do those things that got you into trouble and yet gave you ease with the joy that you got from doing them? Well? Don't you?" he asked me those questions consecutively. I just ended up answering him with the memories I had of my childhood.  
  
"From my point of view, I never experienced the kind of childhood that you are referring to. I have started my harsh training as an itako ever since I was four years old. So naturally, I had no time to be innocent because my sensei already oriented me of the impurities of both the world of the living and the world of the dead. I had no time to be carefree because again, I was already aware of my responsibilities as an itako. And lastly, I never found a thing that got me into trouble, which brings me joy at the same time. Because every time I got into trouble, my sensei would force me to kneel on a pile of rock salt and made me hold a heavy clay pot on each of my hand while under the scorching heat of the sun for the whole day without having any meals at all." I said. That ought to make things clear for him.  
  
And amazingly, "Oh." was the only word that came from his mouth.  
  
"So tell me, did you actually experience those things when you were a child? The ones that you spoke of I mean" I found myself being curious about this person's past.  
  
"Heh! Of course not! My childhood is pretty much similar to yours. If not, maybe grimmer, a whole lot grimmer. I just got all of those things from Opacho! She was really nice! I miss talking to her. She's such an adorable child. Mou, wonder where she is now, shouldn't have scared her away like that. Anyway, as I was saying, you really should have a taste of the whipped cream mixture, because frankly, I don't want to get blamed if the pie you made your fiancé actually tastes, bad. So unless it's fine with you to have me as your official taste tester, then by all means, leave this heavenly cream for me to finish." He smiled as looked at me inquisitively as he offered me the bowl of cream once more.  
  
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I know, I know! How could I have been so stupid? I should've done that taste test before I ordered him to put the filling into the pie! Damn it. But I couldn't really make things undone now can I? If only my magic worked that way. Sadly it did not. So that was when I knew I was bound to taste the contents of the wretched bowl.  
  
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I looked at the bowl of the whipped cream mixture. Knowing its ingredients, the cream cheese, sugar, almond extract and of course the cream, it would have indeed been enticing for me to sample, but apparently, the traces of the jerk's finger were there to remind me that an extra ingredient had been added into the concoction which is none other than his saliva. Damn it. I can't help but look at the cursed thing with sheer disgust.  
  
"I don't have rabies you know. And as far as I'm concerned, my immune system is strong enough to fend off any viral infection that may threaten to make my body sick, so virtually, I'm virus free. And if it's my personal hygiene you're worried about, worry no more my dear future sister-in-law for I have washed my hands when I came into your kitchen, that's why there's no need to throw those repulsed glances at me oh sweet one." He declared as if reading my mind. He was still smiling as he pushed the bowl on the table closer to me.  
  
Sooner or later I had to do it, so there's really no point in delaying I told myself. I took the spoon, which he had used to transfer the cream into the piecrusts. With every once of courage I can squeeze into my hand, I placed the spoonful of cream inside my mouth. And then I swallowed most of it but I left some in my mouth to examine further its taste. Surprisingly, it tasted good. Its sweetness was just right.  
  
"Oh wait, I think I used the finger, which I picked my nose with when you weren't looking to eat that cream." He said with a serious look on his face.  
  
I immediately gagged out the disgusting cream that remained in my mouth. "Pteew!!! Pteew!!! Pteew!!! Damn you! I'll send you straight into hell! And I hope you rot completely when you get there! I hate you! I hate you! Pteew!!!" I shouted as I tried to spit all the cream out of my mouth at him. But scornfully, he successfully evaded the droplets of cream that came from me.  
  
"Ha, ha, ha! Relax! It was a joke! Just a joke! You know I'd never do that with you around! Even I would get repulsed with myself if I did such thing, he, he, he!!!" he uncontrollably laughed at me. And for the first time, I saw him discover a new meaning for the words laughter and joy.  
  
"Itai!" exclaimed the boy as I finally caught him off his guard, which allowed me to bash him on the head with the cream covered spatula. I really hate it when people laugh at me. Come to think of it, this is the only time I know that somebody was able to make fun of me.  
  
"Ha! You should know by now who you're up against. You can't take me on! Never!" I teasingly stuck out my tongue at him.  
  
But much to my surprise, the boy's facial expressions changed all of a sudden. His face turned to be somewhat more serious. Too serious. He stood up from the chair he was sitting on. I then realized that he was approaching me slowly but surely. I too stood up because of that.  
  
There was that mischievous grin on his face again and those fiery stares. Damn, he's going to do something bad to me, I knew it. I shouldn't have been carried away. He stepped closer to me. I stepped away farther from him. I creased my eyebrows once again. With one swift movement, I obtained my spatula on the table and held it up like a sword. His smirk widened. He raised his eyebrows as if saying: You have got to be kidding me.  
  
Then, with an even faster hand movement, he took the spatula away from my hand. The position of our bodies was very much the same with the one we had earlier. Our bodies were really close. Pressing onto each other to be exact. I had my arms folded on his chest. Both of his were wrapped around me. I then felt one of his arms loosen as his hand came in contact with my face once more. As it turned out, his gazes actually did have the ability to literally melt anything, including me. I felt myself standing limply as I drowned into those dark brown orbs of his. I felt no power to resist as his finger caressed my cheek once more and then it went on top of my lips.  
  
"You have whipped cream here." He said softly. I saw him smile fondly at me. His grip around my waist tightened which pressed me harder against him. He wiped the cream off my lips with his index finger. He then inserted his finger into his mouth and slowly gulped it down.  
  
"Never knew whipped cream could be so delicious." He said quietly but enough for me to hear. All the while that intoxicating smile never seem to vanish on his face.  
  
His eyes were now evidently glimmering with wild passion. And from what I could see with my reflection in his eyes, mine were doing the same. With our bodies so close to each other, I could feel the warmth of our bodies become greater as minutes flew by. We just gazed at one another intently. Then finally, he made a move. He wrapped both of his arms possessively around me and brought his head closer to mine. My heart stopped beating as he whispered the words "Come with me" into my ears. I then closed my eyes. His lips were micrometers away from locking up with mine.  
  
Suddenly I saw the grinning and cute face of my fiancé smiling at me, I heard him calling my name. Then, an impulse just stirred within me. That is to resist, to fight the sensual urges that both of us were unable to reject a few moments back.  
  
"Yoh" I called the name of my fiancé.  
  
He moved his lips away from mine. I gazed into his eyes. And then I heard myself saying.  
  
"I'm sorry. But I already belong to him. I belong only to him."  
  
I saw the glimmer in his eyes disappear as they emanated a surge of sadness. But I was then surprised to see him smile, after which I felt him embrace me harder than ever before as he closed his eyes. He looked like a small child who has finally found his long lost teddy bear as he gave me a tender kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Heh. I know. Just needed a little reminding I guess." He pinched my cheeks fondly and then took his arms off me.  
  
"Well, then now, where were we?" He took my recipe book into his hands. It was as if nothing significant happened between us. He spoke with a tone in his voice that perfectly hid his emotions away. But the hurt look in his face did not. There was nothing else I could do. And we both knew it. There was only one thing left for us to accomplish and that is to follow the rest of the pie making procedure in the cookbook to get it over with.  
  
After a while.  
  
"Arrange strawberries pointed side up over filling. Chill. In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips and shortening stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over strawberries and filling. Chill until set. Store in refrigerator." He read the directions.  
  
"Well yep, that's pretty much it" he concluded as he lay the closed book on the table, and leaned over to have a peek at the two boxes of pies that we have, successfully and proudly made.  
  
"I had a good time making these." he added looking at the pies. He smiled at me but I can't help noticing the fact that the smiles he gave out weren't the same as the ones he gave me earlier. And I have to admit, I found this to be very much relieving.  
  
"Well, then, that's that? I guess I better say my good bye to you dear sister-in-law. Glad to be of service. And please tell that adorable little brother of mine to, have a very happy birthday. And may he have many more to come" he smiled once more as he turned his back to me and left our kitchen.  
  
"Hao! Wait!" he froze dead on his tracks as he was about to step out of our house. I wouldn't be surprised. This was the very first time that I had called him by his real name. He faced me once again and with a look of pleasant surprise written all over his face this time.  
  
"Yes, Anna?" he smiled so happily at me that I just couldn't help but feel happy as well. I gave him one of my best smiles that were usually reserved only for my fiancé to see. And in my opinion, he deserved it.  
  
"Thanks for helping me" I said.  
  
"Heh. Anything for you Anna." he grinned with his eyes saying that it was really him who wanted to express his gratitude.  
  
"Ano, Why don't you come with me to the party? I mean, I'm sure Yoh is expecting to see you there." I asked him.  
  
"No thanks Anna. As inviting as your offer truly is, I do not think that all of your friends are ready to accept me yet. And be assured that I have nothing against them for having such feeling." He answered.  
  
"If that's what you really want" I added.  
  
"It is." He smiled.  
  
But just when he was about to leave, I appeared there right in front of him. It was his turn to be surprised now. I then gently held his face with both of my hands and placed a kiss on one of his cheeks.  
  
"Happy birthday Hao. And may you have many more birthdays to come." I said while smiling fondly at him.  
  
"Arigatou gosaimasu Anna. Demo, I don't need any more birthdays to come for as long as I have this memory of my birthday to get me by even up to another lifetime." He said as he took my hands into his and placed them both in front of his lips. He then gave them one last tender kiss and slowly let go of them. He bowed before me courteously, and surprisingly I did the same to him.  
  
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And that was when we parted our ways. It may not be in this lifetime but I know that the Great Spirits will someday recognize Hao's repentance and give him a chance to finally love and be loved by someone in return, as his reward.  
  
Geez. I know that was stupid. That didn't sound anything like me at all ne? Anyway, I really hope that Yoh never find out about this. He doesn't have to. Right?  
  
Beware: If the one who read this account does not go by the name of Kyouyama Anna, I'll do everything in my power to have the ghosts at your house appear by your bedside in the middle of the night to haunt you, for the rest of your life.  
  
~Anna~  
  
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~Owaru~  
  
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* Am not sure about the b-date of the twins, but hey, this is just a fanfic, so anything goes, right? : )  
  
* This is terribly long, I know. . . But what can I do, I was in the mood to finish it. . .  
  
* Anyway, could somebody review this? Please? Flame me all you want, it'll be fun!  
  
* Very different writing style from the other two fics that I wrote. Yes, very true. Was just inspired by another SK fic writer whom I really admire. Gosh, which reminds me, haven't finished those yet. = S  
  
* Why is it that I feel like I used some lines that came out of other fanfics here? Gosh. If you could specify them for me, please do, I would gladly give the credits that are due to the ones who originally wrote them!  
  
* Ja minna! = ) 


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